Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (belonging to the family Leguminosae), commonly known as Licorice, is a popular medicinal plant that has been used in traditional medicine worldwide for its ethnopharmacological efficacy in treating several ailments. Natural herbal substances with strong biological activity have recently received much attention. The main metabolite of glycyrrhizic acid is 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (18βGA), a pentacyclic triterpene. A major active plant component derived from licorice root, 18βGA has sparked a lot of attention due to its pharmacological properties. The current review thoroughly examines the literature on 18βGA, a major active plant component obtained from Glycyrrhiza glabra L. The current work provides insight into the pharmacological activities of 18βGA and the potential mechanisms of action involved. The plant contains a variety of phytoconstituents such as 18βGA, which has a variety of biological effects including antiasthmatic, hepatoprotective, anticancer, nephroprotective, antidiabetic, antileishmanial, antiviral, antibacterial, antipsoriasis, antiosteoporosis, antiepileptic, antiarrhythmic, and anti-inflammatory, and is also useful in the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension, antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia, and cerebral ischemia. This review examines research on the pharmacological characteristics of 18βGA throughout recent decades to demonstrate its therapeutic potential and any gaps that may exist, presenting possibilities for future drug research and development.

Natural products have been extensively used for treating a wide variety of disorders. In recent times, Brucine (BRU) as one of the natural medications extracted from seeds of nux vomica, was investigated for its anticancer activity. As far as we know, this is the first study on BRU anticancer activity against skin cancer. Thus, the rational of this work was implemented to develop, optimize and characterize the anticancer activity of BRU loaded ethosomal gel. Basically, thin film hydration method was used to formulate BRU ethosomal preparations, by means of Central composite design (CCD), which were operated to construct (3²) factorial design. Two independent variables were designated (phospholipid percentage and ethanol percentage) with three responses (vesicular size, encapsulation efficiency and flux). Based on the desirability function, one formula was selected and incorporated into HPMC gel base to develop BRU loaded ethosomal gel. The fabricated gel was assessed for all physical characterization. In-vitro release investigation, ex-vivo permeation and MTT calorimetric assay were performed. BRU loaded ethosomal gel exhibited acceptable values for the characterization parameters which stand proper for topical application. In-vitro release investigation was efficiently prolonged for 6 h. The flux from BRU loaded ethosome was enhanced screening optimum SSTF value. Finally, in-vitro cytotoxicity study proved that BRU loaded ethosomal gel significantly improved the anticancer activity of the drug against A375 human melanoma cell lines. Substantially, the investigation proposed a strong motivation for further study of the lately developed BRU loaded ethosomal gel as a prospective therapeutic strategy for melanoma treatment.

Background: Curcumin (Cur) possesses a variety of beneficial pharmacological properties including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Nevertheless, the low aqueous solubility and subsequent poor bioavailability greatly limits its effectiveness. Besides, the role of myrrh oil as an essential oil in treating inflammatory disorders has been recently demonstrated. The objective of the current investigation is to enhance Cur efficacy via developing Cur nanoemulgel, which helps to improve its solubility and permeability, for transdermal delivery. Methods: The formulated preparations (Cur gel, emulgel and nanoemulgel) were evaluated for their physical appearance, spreadability, viscosity, particle size, in vitro release and ex vivo drug permeation studies. The in vivo anti-inflammatory activity was estimated using the carrageenan-induced rat hind paw edema method. Results: The formulated Cur-loaded preparations exhibited good physical characteristics that were in the acceptable range of transdermal preparations. The release of Cur from gel, emulgel and nanoemulgel after 12 h was 72.17 ± 3.76, 51.93 ± 3.81 and 62.0 ± 3.9%, respectively. Skin permeation of Cur was significantly (p < 0.05) improved when formulated into nanoemulgel since it showed the best steady state transdermal flux (SSTF) value (108.6 ± 3.8 µg/cm²·h) with the highest enhancement ratio (ER) (7.1 ± 0.2). In vivo anti-inflammatory studies proved that Cur-loaded nanoemulgel displayed the lowest percent of swelling (26.6% after 12 h). Conclusions: The obtained data confirmed the potential of the nanoemulgel dosage form and established the synergism of myrrh oil and Cur as an advanced anti-inflammatory drug.

The purpose of this study was to fabricate biostable inorganic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using fresh peel (aqueous) extract of Benincasa hispida. A fast, robust, and eco-friendly approach was used for the synthesis of AgNPs, where bioactive components of peel extract of B. hispida acted as reducing and stabilizing agents. Synthesized AgNPs were characterized using a UV–Vis spectrophotometer, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and electron microscopy. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibited maximum absorption at 418 nm under the typical AgNPs surface plasmon resonance band range. They depicted a mean size of 26 ± 2 nm with a spherical shape. Their therapeutic prospective was determined by evaluating their antimicrobial and anticancer potential. The bio-synthesized silver nanoparticles exhibited strong antimicrobial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC 50) values of 14.5, 8.6, 6.063, and 13.4 μg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Micrococcus luteus (ATCC 14593), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), and Klebsiella pneumonia (ATCC 13883), respectively. The biosynthesized AgNPs showed potent in vitro cytotoxicity against human cervical cancer cell line with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of 0.066 μg/mL; however, no cytotoxic effect was observed on normal human primary osteoblasts cell line. This study explored B. hispida extract and confirmed its effectiveness as a promising source in producing AgNPs that could be employed for several therapeutic applications.

Serratia marcescens is an opportunistic nosocomial pathogen and causes wound and burn infections. It shows high resistance to antibiotics and its pathogenicity is mediated by an arsenal of virulence factors. Another therapeutic option to such infections is targeting quorum sensing (QS), which controls the expression of different S. marcescens virulence factors. Prevention of QS can deprive S. marcescens from its bacterial virulence without applying stress on the bacterial growth and facilitates the eradication of the bacteria by immunity. The objective of the current study is to explore the antimicrobial and antivirulence activities of xylitol against S. marcescens. Xylitol could inhibit the growth of S. marcescens. Sub-inhibitory concentrations of xylitol could inhibit biofilm formation, reduce prodigiosin production, and completely block protease activity. Moreover, xylitol decreased swimming motility, swarming motility and increased the sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide. The expression of rsmA, pigP, flhC, flhD fimA, fimC, shlA bsmB, and rssB genes that regulate virulence factor production was significantly downregulated by xylitol. In silico study showed that xylitol could bind with the SmaR receptor by hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding, and interfere with the binding of the natural ligand with SmaR receptor. An in vivo mice survival test confirmed the ability of xylitol to protect mice against the virulence of S. marcescens. In conclusion, xylitol is a growth and virulence inhibitor in S. marcescens and can be employed for the treatment of S. marcescens wound and burn infections.

In recent times, resistant foodborne pathogens, especially of the Campylobacter species, have created several global crises. These crises have been compounded due to the evolution of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogens and the emergence of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) and pan-drug-resistant (PDR) strains. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the development of resistance and the existence of both XDR and PDR among Campylobacter isolates. Moreover, we explored the use of the polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique for the detection of fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistant Campylobacter isolates. A total of 120 Campylobacter isolates were identified depending on both phenotypic and genotypic methods. Of note, cefoxitin and imipenem were the most effective drugs against the investigated Campylobacter isolates. Interestingly, the majority of our isolates (75%) were MDR. Unfortunately, both XDR and PDR isolates were detected in our study with prevalence rates of 20.8% and 4.2%, respectively. All FQ-resistant isolates with ciprofloxacin minimum inhibitory concentrations ≥4 µg/mL were confirmed by the genetic detection of gyrA chromosomal mutation via substitution of threonine at position 86 to isoleucine (Thr-86-to-Ile) using the PCR-RFLP technique. Herein, PCR-RFLP was a more practical and less expensive method used for the detection of FQ resistant isolates. In conclusion, we introduced a fast genetic method for the identification of FQ-resistant isolates to avoid treatment failure through the proper description of antimicrobials.